Rave and Run: BOOM's 2016 Great Wall Run and Music Fest Feat. Deorro, Frontliner, and Pendulum

What better way to make sure that a musical festival goes unmolested by the authorities than combining it with a 5k run. This fitness-oriented electronic music festival will be happening from May 13-15 at Simatai Great Wall, featuring local and international master DJs, and a 5k run on one of the most beautiful sections of the Wall.

The venue: Water Town, in the Gubei Township of Miyun County, a "themed" city created to give those living in and around Beijing a more convenient option to experience a traditional river town similar to what you might find south of the Yangtze River in Wuzhen, Xitang, and Lijiang. The ersatz settlement in located about 120km northeast of Beijing International Airport and includes natural hot springs along with a bunch of kitsch activities, such as a visit to a baijiu distillery that will, at least, add a slight aura of authenticity and trick you into thinking that you are visiting a town of cultural relevance (don’t be fooled haha).

The nearby 5.4km section of the Simatai Great Wall was designated by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site and contains 20 well-preserved watchtowers and kilometer-high peaks, which will make for a scenic and especially challenging run, ideal for all of you athletic masochists out there.

If pushing your fitness to the limit isn’t your thing then you can also just attend the festival following the race. Currently, there are 33 DJs slated to perform on four stages throughout this three-day event, including international talents like Deorro, Frontliner, Code Black, and Pendulum, along with with local favorites like Blackie, Jackson Lee, Pei, and Pancake Lee. It’s good to see a Great Wall festival that makes use of the awesome Beijing-based DJs instead of just relying on a couple of big names off the Top 100 DJ list. Check out the flyer for their “phase one” lineup, to which more DJs should be added in the weeks leading up to the event.

RELATED: China's 2016 Marathon Calendar

Find tickets, travel packages, and more info to this very ambitious and most likely very sweaty gathering through the tickets section of their website here, or check out our event listing.

More stories by this author here.

Email: danielkippwhittaker@thebeijinger.com

Images courtesy of the organizers